Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
The elements of the story are rooted in the Cuban reality but they also speak about the international scene of the time: Rodrigo Barrriuso
Maine is about how you easily connect with people who are in the same place in life as you are: Matthew Brown
I feel, the transgender issues need to be told and that the movie could genuinely spin a dialogue: Mr Sivam
‘A Translator’ is a film built around a very personal story within my family. I never set out to make a political story, though there were many political factors underpinning it. The film is rooted in the Cuban reality – the tiny island has lots of lessons to offer to the world asserted Rodrigo Barriusso, Director of the film ‘A Translator’, one of the entries in the competitive section of the International Film Festival of India in Goa this year. Rodrigo was addressing a joint press conference on his film this evening.
Talking about the movie, he said the film is based on the true story of his father. The main protagonist Malin is a professor of Russian Literature at the University of Havana who is torn from the abstract world of academics to the harsh reality of medicine and pain and tragedy as he handles his entrusted job of being a translator between Cuban doctors and child patients after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Developing a devoted relationship with the patient kids in the hospital, Malin’s own relationship with his wife and son suffers amidst the economic crisis that envelopes Cuba following the breakdown of the erstwhile USSR.
Rodrigo said the film’s main message is about the drive to revamp oneself when your life is flipped on its head by elements outside your control. Getting a platform to share such an intense story is in itself an award, the Director elaborated. The film has already bagged the Golden Goblet Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival this year.
‘Maine’ a film in the World Panorama section of IFFI is directed by Matthew Brown, a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Arts. His micro-budget debut film “In the tree-tops” was world-premiered at the Los Angelos Film Festival in 2015.
‘Maine’ deals with complex emotions and internal processes like introspection and self-discovery. “I wanted to live vicariously through the characters and their experiences and the inspiration for it came from personal experiences, and the movie is about how one can easily connect with people who are in the same place in life as you are, Mr Brown said.
‘Maine’ tells a story of a married Spanish woman’s journey of self-discovery and introspection, while hiking on an Appalachian mountain trail, where she meets an American hiker. Besides direction Brown also has done the screenplay and acting in the film.
Transgender issues need to be told and the movie is an attempt in the hope that it can spin a genuine dialogue on this sensitive issue said Lenin Sivam, Director of the bilingual film ‘Roobha’ being screened in the World Panorama section of IFFI here in Goa. Lenin said the movie is a beautiful love story between a young Asian transgender woman ‘Roobha’ and a married man. Inspired by a character in a Tamil short story, the Canadian Director who has roots in neighbouring Sri Lanka, said it is story to which he can relate because transgender people are like normal people.
Amrit Sandhu who plays the role of ‘Roobha’ said what inspired him to take up the role is that transgender people are like us and the film shows what happens to women when they have no family or friends’ support and are trying to deal with their transgender status.
Director Lenin Shivam has many short films to his credit. His short film ‘A Few Good People’ won the Best Short Film Award in 2006 from the Independent Film Society. His debut feature movie ‘1999’ has also bagged many international awards.